Dogville is a dismally poor film

Dogville

Director: Lars von Trier

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Paul Bettany, Harriet Andersson, Lauren Bacall, Blair Brown, James Caan, Ben Gazarra, Chloe Sevigny, John Hurt (narrator)

Cert: 15.

That's certainly a great, all-star cast; so where's the film?

Lars - the von he added for vanity - Trier might try a little harder when it comes to bringing us decent films (his track record isn't the strongest). Dogville merely underlines the Danish director's self-important method of making films; and they're usually the sort of overly complex tales which win obscure awards and annoy the heck out of the rest of us.

Dogville is also a dismally poor film, in which the mysterious Kidman turns ups in the small town of the title. Initially, the citizens are kind to her but, you guessed it, things eventually turn pear-shaped. No surprise here since Dogville is peopled by all those stereotypes so beloved of storytellers: nutcases.

Given that the script is so weak, the directing so casual and the core drive of the film so depressingly slow there is hardly anything about Dogville which holds our attention.

Fido should take this one into the back garden and bury it.

Star Rating: 1/5